By the time you finish reading this post (roughly 20 minutes), over 90,000 posts will have been uploaded to the internet.
This number kind of shows how creating shareable content is more challenging, and it can seem unrealistic to get the attention of your audience.
But you have no choice. Success is mandatory if you want to see results out of your content marketing efforts.
A few companies are getting most of their content going viral with thousands of shares.
What is their secret?
What are they doing that you aren’t doing?
Why does THEIR content keep breaking the internet?
I dived into in-depth research, studying these companies’ metrics, and unraveled 6 secrets they use to create engaging content that generates thousands of shares.
Let’s get started,
What is Engaging Content Worth Sharing?
How you want your audience to interact with your content is what determines your engagement.
It can be in the form of readers’ comments, receiving backlinks, or social media shares.
In a nutshell, engaging content is what appeals to your readers. If it grasps their attention and keeps them reading, you have won the engagement game.
Note that engaging content is not about whether you wrote an epic piece. It’s all about the reader.
Are they entertained enough? have you hit their emotional goals?
It’s time to know what you haven’t been doing. The tips I’m about to share with you might be crucial to your blogging success. Let’s dive right in.
1. Use Humor, Memes, and Gifs
People are advocating for humanity in marketing. Why? Traditional marketing was all about interruption and not offering something valuable. It held attention for a short time which didn’t bring much revenue.
Marketing is different now.
It’s evolving into personal and emotional connections relatable to your audience. In blogging, emotional connection is achieved through the use of memes, gifs, and humor.
What are Memes and Gifs?
A meme is an image, video, piece of text, etc., typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by internet users, often with slight variations.
Here is an example,
A Gif is a clip from movies that you put in your content related to an idea you want to put across.
Both kinds of media have three main ingredients that make them effective in content creation.
- They bring a humorous slant.
- Reference to pop culture.
- Have relevance.
The use of memes and Gifs has shot up in the last few years. They’re hot now, and every blogger wants to use them.
Below is the search volume for the word “meme.”
Scientific Reasoning Behind Memes and Gifs
Written texts are not as popular as visuals. Our brains tend to crave visuals that are easy to consume and assimilate.
According to a Wiley Network study, about 50-80 percent of the brain processes visuals, memory, color, images, movements, patterns, and image recollection.
More studies record that visuals with colors encourage people to read a piece of content by 80%, and adding a picture to your content allows you to recall what you read by 65%.
How To Use Memes and Gifs Effectively
While memes and Gifs are meant to reveal the “kid” inside us, they should also reflect our current realities.
As they say, there is always a grain of truth in every joke. Don’t just focus on the “funny” part. Ask yourself what relevance it’s adding to your audience.
They need to feel connected. They need to learn something new. They need to feel like you’ve hit a pain point.
After laughing their hearts out, they should go back to the moment where they think, “wait, I think it has some truth in it.”
Before you start using memes and Gifs, keep these things in mind;
- Memes and Gifs must match your brand’s voice.
- Use platforms like Giphy or imgflp to leverage existing memes or create new ones.
- Choose the correct word choice that humorously reflects your idea.
2. Use Stories and Anecdotes
Yesterday I was surfing the net when I came across an irresistible blog post by Jon Morrow from Smartblogger…..
Did you feel that?
That feeling of curiosity that almost forces you to want to know what happened next? That’s the power of storytelling.
Personal stories and anecdotes allow you to suck your readers into an imaginary world through personalized experiences.
They are practical, tangible, and memorable, which are the three recipes for viral content.
See, stories are not only used in blogging. They have also become an integral part of marketing.
Why? They make your readers relate to your story first. Once you’ve built that connection, showing them why your product is a good match for their needs becomes easier.
Four Elements of Great Stories
Let’s first make it clear. None of the tips you’re about to read are about inventing stories and trying to be something you’re not.
Stories need to be authentic since everybody’s life is unique. Even if we had the same experience, the way we experienced it is different for everyone.
- Great Stories Can’t be Described in One Sentence
Stories are divided into four stages:
- Introduction
- Growth
- Climax
- End
You can’t weave all these in one sentence. Back to the article on Jon Morrow’s Smart blogger.
What did you gain after reading that sentence? Nothing.
You only get your curiosity aroused only to be left stranded with no direction. Why? The story just tackled one stage – the introduction.
A compelling story must meet all four stages to make it complete. While doing so, it must carry a message to communicate to the reader.
- Great Stories Get Readers to Reflect
Have you ever read a story that left you thinking about it for a long? The author must have done an excellent job.
A story is genuinely compelling when the issue it tackles resonates with your readers’ current state. It makes them think and weigh in the decisions they are about to make.
You want the reader nodding and saying in their minds, “oh yeah, I’m in the same situation. Maybe doing the same thing he did will make way for me too.
Let me tell you about the power of stories through an experiment called “Significant Objects”.
Rob Walker and Joshua Glenn bought 100 irrelevant objects in thrift stores, like old mugs, dolls, keychains. They bought them for an average of $1.25 per object ($125 in total).
They then reached out to writers they admired by asking them to choose an item and to write a short story about it.
The items were sold through Ebay.com and the description of the object was the short story written specifically for it by these writers.
Did it work? Yes
How well? Well…
The total profit was… $8000!
A 6400% margin!
Some items bought for $1 sold for nearly $200!
The stories created an emotional connection to the objects that, through the magic of auction, made people pay completely disconnected sums of money compared to the real values of said objects.
This is the power of stories; they scientifically proved it, and I also used their story to illustrate my point and make the article more interesting!
- Great Stories are Positive
Do you remember when you used to play with your mom as a small kid? Remember when something would get messed up, you’d tell her thinking she would instantly solve it for you.
But she wouldn’t.
Instead, she’d ask you why you didn’t figure out a way to fix it. That’s what a story should do. It should be positive enough to challenge you to look for an answer.
In one of my latest posts, I’ve shared the story of Steve and Jenniffer, bloggers, and online entrepreneurs. Their story is filled with challenges of how they were stressed out with their corporate jobs till they broke free by venturing online.
A good story doesn’t dwell on a problem for long. It must eventually come with a solution
- Good Stories Aren’t Always Great
What I mean is that all stories are not always noble and have a happy ending. Most people only try to show perfection. Readers need to feel the struggle before the solution gets sucked in.
For example, a bad story might look like this:
“My online business was the best. I sold a zillion units in my first year, and everybody loved it. Now I have made a lot of money and am looking to spend the next few years in a beach Bali.”
Don’t do this unless you want people to start questioning your authenticity.
3. Use Statistics
In this era where fake news is the order of the day, you can’t make a claim without justifying it from a reputable source.
Readers are getting smart and they want data-driven posts. They’re not interested in fallacies that only appear real in theory but not practical.
What Is a Data-Driven Article?
A data drive post is a high-quality content backed up with scientific stats and studies to justify a claim.
Citing and referencing relevant research confirms that you understand the information and are willing to pass it to others.
Using stats helps your content to:
- Be credible
- Be highly informative
- Confirm your authority
- Be more trustworthy
So, does data-driven content work? Absolutely. An article by Hubspot states that a blog with data-driven, high-quality articles and consistent posting can get 100k visitors in just two years.
How Do People Respond to Stats?
Brian Dean, the founder of Backlinko did an explosive post in which he analyzed 11 million sites to check their SEO status.
The post is backed up with a lot of data that justifies every statement he makes.
Currently, the post has over 14,456 shares and 18,500 backlinks. So you ask, is the article’s success attributed to Brian’s authority in the SEO field?
Not really.
It’s because the article did its job.
The amount of data it contains will help content marketers learn where they’ve been going wrong in SEO content creation.
It will help bloggers know the trick they need to use to better rank their blogs. In addition, it will assist SEO specialists to know what they have to do to better rank their clients’ websites.
How to Write Data-Driven Posts With The Right Stats
It’s quite simple.
It’s not like every sentence must have proof to justify what you’re saying. You just need to delve deep into research.
We have two kinds of blog posts.
- The “Mr. Bean” Posts: These are posts even that anyone can write. They have nothing unique. You’ll likely fall asleep before reading halfway.
- The “Johnny English” Posts: These are not just meant to pass information. They bring new information, hit pain points, and create new ideas to help the readers.
You can only create “Johnny English” posts when you go deeper into research. And note this, it will take time.
A survey by orbit media studied 100 bloggers and found that only 5.5% of bloggers spend more than 6 hours creating a post.
This huge time difference is also what can determine your success. The longer you take to research and write a post, the more your readers will find the content they can’t find elsewhere.
4. Images, Infographics, and Screenshots
Images and screenshots appeal to the eye. They grasp the attention and keep readers glued to a post.
Infographics are more of a marketing tool, which takes factual data and marries it with the design aspect of graphics.
A study by Skyword, a content marketing platform, found that blog posts with images and infographics get 94% more views.
More studies agree that content with visuals has more engagement than those without. They also increase the time a reader will spend on a page.
Here’s an example of an infographic explaining what happens to your body after you drink a can of coke. It went viral was shared thousands of times, and acquired more than 900 backlinks:
Why Do Blog Posts Need Visuals?
Imagine you have a whole room of chefs. Let’s say, Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri, and Gordon Ramsay (lucky you).
A whole bunch of them at your disposal. You order them to bake a delicious raspberry butter cake.
They quickly start doing their magic as you wait enthusiastically. An hour later, everyone is done.
You’ll likely get a different variety of results. Some chefs may bake a collection of cupcakes that makes up a huge mountain. Others might have baked one huge cake.
Plus, they will all use different flavors and decorations. But the bottom line is that all the cakes will be delicious.
Now, this is what images, screenshots, and infographics do to your blog posts. Although they are different forms of media with different goals, they have a unifying factor.
As a result, the final product is appealing, which in this context, is your blog post.
You do need to incorporate visual content not just to make your post engaging but to make it complete. This takes us to the next question.
How Do You Choose the Best Images for Your Posts?
The right images should meet the following three criteria;
- Must rhyme with the theme of the article.
- Must be relevant to the post.
- Must be optimizable for SEO.
You don’t need to pay for stock photos to get images that meet the above requirements. You can get free images from pixabay, pexels, and Shutterstock.
Let’s talk about Infographics
“You must pay a web designer to create one for you.”
That’s a fat lie.
Don’t get me wrong. Hire the best designers if you have the budget. But I’ll show you a cheaper option.
Go to Canva and search “infographics” on the search tab. You’ll get thousands of used infographics that you can customize. A few tweaks and you’re good to go.
How to Take Screenshots on Your Laptop
Many people find it hard to take screenshots on PCs. If you’re stuck, follow the steps below.
- First, identify what you want to take a screenshot of. Ensure it meets the above three criteria.
- Go to the Windows search tab on the bottom left side of the laptop. Search for the “snipping tool.” Open it. You’ll see an image like the one below.
IV. Click the “Try Snip and Sketch” icon. It will open another box which gives you an option to screenshot.
Below is a round map infographic of visual content you need to start using in your blog posts.
5. Metaphors and Visual Comparisons
The Eminem Guide to Becoming a Writing and Marketing Machine is a popular article written by Sean Platt in Copyblogger.
It shows the power of metaphors in headlines.
Imagine you’re blazing through your emails one morning. Newsletters and promotional emails whizz across your eyes in a blur until you come across an article with a headline above.
You’ll ask yourself several questions.
“Did Eminem stop rapping to become a writer?”
“What does Eminem know about marketing?”
No doubt you’ll be sucked into clicking on the article clink.
What are Metaphors in Blog Writing
A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes something or an action that isn’t true but uses comparisons or symbolism to describe it.
Here are simple examples of metaphors
- Love is a battlefield.
- You broke my heart
- You light up my life
Metaphors are powerful figures of speech when writing blog posts for four reasons;
- They spice up your blog posts and make your words sing.
- They create a layer of richness that makes you a better storyteller.
- They help you and your readers relate to a complex problem in more simple terms.
How to Create Metaphors in Blog posts
While metaphors do an excellent job of explaining abstract concepts, they are only effective when used wisely.
If there is one mistake you shouldn’t make is overusing them.
They can weigh your prose down significantly. Don’t force metaphors into your writing.
Below are the key things to consider when you want to incorporate them in your blog posts.
- Focus on the concept you want to explain. Maybe, you might want to explain the benefits of yoga.
- Think and research your concept while writing down unique things that relate to it. Here’s an example of the words I’ll write for my example: yoga.
- Look for similar or real-life objects that embody the points you got in step two. Make a list of what comes into your mind. The words I’d point down include; skipping rope, yo-yo, pretzels, string, elastic, dough, e.t.c.
- Pick the words that stand out. For example, pretzels make a good symbolism of a yogi’s body performing a twist on the floor. It’s appropriate and adds an element of humor.
- Confirm if the metaphor is relevant to your topic. The thought of a yogi as a pretzel might be funny, but you’ll also be passing a message.
For more tips on using metaphors in your writing, check out Brian Clark’s post on Copyblogger.
6. Use of Definitions
A definition is a rhetorical style that uses various techniques to impress the reader with the meaning of a concept, idea, or term.
A definition should not contain all the information about the idea, word, or concept.
The goal is to make the reader understand what you’re putting across. This means that it should only contain the word and what the word refers to, and a little information allows your audience to differentiate it from other similar words.
There are a few basic guidelines to follow when using definitions in your posts.
- Use Words Your Readers Are Familiar with
It’s often to come across words that make no sense when reading an article online. While the writer wants to sound smart, the overcomplicated jargon hurts your brain.
So before you start using definitions, ask yourself these three questions: Can you use a simpler term instead? Can a 6th-grade child understand the piece? Will it bring value to your audience?
- Keep it Simple
Writing a blog is not like writing an academic thesis.
Some of your readers never went to college or English might not be their first language. The rule of the game is to keep it simple.
Use simple grammatical structures. Avoid using too many useless words and get to the point fast.
- Don’t Over-use Specialized Terms
There’s a big debate on whether to use jargon or avoid it. In my opinion, I advise you to only use jargon when you’re blogging about a very technical field in a specialized niche. Still, this should be kept at a minimum.
Conclusion
That was a long read. Let’s make a quick recap of how you can create viral and shareable content.
- Use Humor, Memes, and Gifs
- Use Stories and Anecdotes
- Use Statistics
- Images, Infographics, and Screenshots
- Metaphors and Visual Comparisons
- Use of Definitions
Shareable content is a breath of fresh air for your audience. It’s not enough to write a blog post. Two million are created every day!
Did I say the road to getting better engagement would be a walk in the park? Not even once. Creating good content takes a lot of practice. Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day.
If you take the time to craft brilliant and insightful content, your readers will take the time to read every word and to share them on social media.
What do you aim for? Is it getting shares, comments, backlinks? Let me know in the comments below.